to own up to it that they don’t say it and it’s
very difficult to test and we cannot attend to
these needs.
Hannah: Do you see that happening in
Afghanistan? What do you see happening in
the future?
stopped in Afghanistan. That we want an
Afghanistan that is at peace… And that to
me is to the benefit of everybody concerned.
Hannah: So after all these years, what is it
that makes you want to keep doing this work?
Nasrine: Yes, education is making a difference in this area. Afghans are very, very
loud in their wants, in stating their wants
and needs…I am extremely impressed with
how quickly they learn. And so I’m very
hopeful.
Hannah: If you had to say one thing to
someone in Afghanistan who wanted an education, what would you tell them?
Nasrine: Well, these people are so deprived. When somebody in the 21st century
cannot read the place where the bus is going, cannot read their constitution, cannot
read their children’s prescription, or cannot
read their candidates name, and when somebody cannot write their own name, cannot
sign their name, I as a citizen of this world
feel really like I’m letting these people down.
That is the least we can do for these people.
Imagine if we had a majority of people this
way in America. The 21st century is no longer a time when an illiterate person can have
a quality of life, even the smallest quality of
life. You have to be literate to have a phone;
you have to be literate to have a computer;
you have to be literate to have a microwave
oven; you have to be literate to have a car.
You know what I’m saying?
28 | JOURNEY OF HOPE
Hannah: Are you worried that the
withdrawal of international troops will
change things?
Nasrine: Well it has changed. Since the
troops left last year the level of violence has
skyrocketed. … So I am happy that they are
now reconsidering certain components of it
because no you cannot perform an operation
on somebody, open heart surgery, and then
leave the patient on the sidewalk. We really
need to stick with the Afghans. We need to
be very clear that we want the Taliban and al
Qaida and Daesh and ISIS, and all these other games played by a number of countries,
Nasrine: To read and write and not to
give up and to send their children to school.
It’s not important that the children have
the latest Nike shoes, but it is very important that the children know how to read and
write and to continue their education. It’s
for their own good. They’re not doing it to
do me a favor. They are truly investing in
themselves. n
To learn more about Nasrine’s work visit
www.kabultec.org
In the Afghan Constitution there are about
eleven or so articles that mention women in particular. Check out “Constitution of Afghanistan
1382” online to learn more.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect
the views of Central Asia Institute.
CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE